Wichita eagle., 1887-08-02
THE ROW
That Yesterday Disturbed the Peace Of North
THE ROW

THE ROW
That Yesterday Disturbed the Peace Of North
Main.
Yesterday forenoon quite q disgraceful
row occurred on North Main street. There
are so many and conflicting statements of
the affair in circulation that it is even yet
difficult to arrive at correct report Of the
cause of the ARRAY as well as the ARRAY it
self.
There appeared to be general feeling pre-
vailing that the trouble grew out of a bitter
ness engendered between the employees OF
Cresswen & Buckley's cornice works and the
colored barber and customers across the
street through the confscation by colored
policeman few weeks ago of 8 key OF beer
which the former were enjoying in their
shop The beer it is said by some, whether
truthfully or not, was taken to this shop and
there served as a drink to the BARRIERS and
their customers The feeling has been grow
ing in bitterness and several rather
unpleasant passes have taken place
between the. two parties of men. Mr.. Buck
ley and Mr.. Cresswe1, however, both deny
this in toto, and say the trouble originated
through no old strife, but was commenced
by the colored men, and that they acted
strictly in defense. No one has yet come
forward to give any very connected state
ment of the other side.
At any rate yesterday, just before noon,
| two colored men coming down Main street
| came into conflict with the cornice men near
the work. A strife was commenced and was
soon taken up by the men within the cornice
works, and also by crowd of colored men
sitting in front of the barber shop. The war
waged furious for some time; the windows
of the cornice works we're all broken in and
the front bears the marks Of missels thrown
with no slight force The police
were on hand but appeared to have little
power to quen the disturbance and it only
stopped when the combattants had grown
tired.
The cornice men appeared to have the
worse of the battle !. three of.their men were
quite badly injured, TIVE, it is feared fatally.
Thomas Sweeney was found lying upon the
pavement an ugly cut on the head five inches
long, besides almost numberless cuts and
bruises upon the body. he had
been knocked down EARLY lin the strife and
was soon set upon by crowd Of his enemies
He was removed to his room at Mr.. Jacobiet
across the street from the cornice works and
was lying in very critical condition last
night He had be en- unconscious ever since
the row.
Larry Northcraft was another man quite
badly injured; upon his head was a deep
cut, another was on the side of his
face and his ear was almost cut off. He, too
is very low, and remained unconscious all
daylafter the row.
| Hank Moffitt was struck in the side with a
rock while on the inside of the building, and
was knocked insensible to the ground.
| Mr.. Cresswell was struck on the head with
a rock and was cut on the hand with lemon
ade glass.
Mr.. Cresswell was seen last evening and
| 1.-TWO of our men did not want
to work yesterday morning and so they went
out to the lemonade stand to get cigars
Just then along came two colored men; they
made some insulting remark which was i'm
mediately resented by one of the cornice
men, Sweeney. One of the darkeys then
struck him blow in the face and he fell to
the pavement. He got up and came all GOV.
cred with blood into the shop. The men quit
work and ran to the door to see
what was the trouble. By that time the two
darkeys came rushing toward the door, and
soon the mob in front of the barber shop got
up, ran into the street, grabbed up rocks and
commenced bombarding us. / come to the
door to see what was the matter when, l was
struck in the head by rock and on the hand
by glass from the lemonade stand. They
continued this using not only rocks and clubs
but picking up everything in their reach
throwing even the glasses from the stand
They threw to hit; there was one colored man
that brought man every time he cast q
stone. 1t was only matter Of self defense
with u.s."
All was comparatively quiet last night. The
barber shop was closed and the men who
usually congregated there not to be SEEN
Marshal Haines says he thinks he knows who
was the originator of the trouble and that he
will soon have the man under arrest.